Looking Ahead

Thank you for continuing to lift our family up, especially Calvin, in your prayers. Even though we are many miles away and separated by massive distance, we have not felt alone. There have been so many people who have been placed in our path that have helped us in different ways the past few weeks—it is a testimony of God’s care for our family.

The past two weeks have been busy with doctor appointments and sorting through information and insight from a variety of specialists and doctors. At this point we do know some definite things. First, something interrupted his brain development after 20 weeks of pregnancy. All of the likely causes have been ruled out by blood tests. Calvin’s head, and therefore his brain, is significantly smaller than normal. This, combined with the fact that there are calcifications on his brain, indicates that he may face many challenges ahead. There is a possibility that he will develop normally, and we do pray for that miracle. At the same time we also are trying to prepare ourselves for the reality of a difficult road ahead.

Physically he is doing well so far and responding normally. There is no further medical care that he needs at this point, we simply need to watch and wait for any abnormality…or lack of any! Because there is nothing more we can do (medically) we are planning to return to Cambodia. There is nothing additional that could be done in North America at this point and it does not place any further risk to him to be in Cambodia. If he does develop significant problems at a later point, we will of course need to re-evaluate that decision.

I wish I could say that it has been easy to face this and that we have faced it bravely. But it has been hard, at least for me. Hard to surrender this sweet little boy and say, yes, he has been intricately woven (Psalm 139), perfectly, and we will trust for future grace. Hard not to let worry and fear cloud our judgment or tempt us to lack of faith. Every time we are confronted with the real possibilities of what may lie ahead I get overwhelmed and have to again trust that He will sustain us no matter what will come and no matter how weak we may be. Darryl is very at peace with whatever happens to Calvin and is loving the newborn stage. He’s an encourager to me and keeps reminding me that we need to take one day at a time, all of these things are in the Lord’s hand and He has proven Himself faithful over and over in our lives. I’m so thankful for him.

Speaking of Darryl, he’s 31 today! We had a wonderful afternoon at the park across the street. Seriously, outdoor parks are such a treat for us, especially since we’ve been having cooler weather. We rode the trolley around the 200-acre park which was filled with beautiful gardens and ponds. It was refreshing in every way to be there. Tomorrow, December 5, it is the king of Thailand’s birthday so the park is at its best (it’s called the King’s Park) to honor the king. Here's a few shots from today.